Weigh in

Another 1/4 lb lighter, and my partner is another 1/2 lb lighter. We know weight fluctuates daily, but are both delighted that this fluctuation is downward. Weighing every day is just a habit, and we only take the weight recorded on a Monday to record our weight loss. Since Monday I have lost 1 lb and my partner 1 1/4 lb, and that is because we have both been keeping within our calorie allowance.

It wasn't long ago when we tried a diet that only allowed us to eat certain foods. That was just about the most inconvenient diet ever, it did not fit into our lifestyle and more importantly, did not teach us anything about the food we were eating. We submitted all control to the diet, and yes, it did work, but as soon as we went back to eating our normal food again, the weight went back on. WHY. Simply because we had not learned anything - other than that the diet had worked and normal eating hadn't. We didn't want to do the diet again because we were both fed up with it.

We felt that eating was taboo, especially eating our favourite foods and that to lose weight, we had to eat special foods cooked in certain way. We hear this all the time from others who say they can't lose weight, and it's just the way they are. This usually results in over eating the things we deprive ourselves of, and as I know I've done, saying to ourselves as we eat "oh I give up" and resigning ourselves to being fat.

Just stop and think logically. Every day our body needs nourishment in the form of fuel. For an average woman that is 2200 calories per day. I then track everything I eat for one day and find I am consuming 2300 calories per day. That 100 extra calories per day adds up to 36500 per year. An additional pound of FAT on my body takes 3600 calories, so I will have put on around 10 lbs in a year if I continue to eat that 100 extra calories.

I am simply eating a little less per day. On 3 or 4 good days, I hope to eat about 700 calories less, but still eat the food I love. This may be by reducing the portion. For example, we share a large piece of fish and take a handful of chips from a delicious portion of takeaway fish and chips. We get to savour the wonderful flavours, our head registers we are eating the foods we enjoy, and everyone is happy. Isn't that better than giving up, eating the whole large portion of fish and chips while thinking "oh I give up". I suppose we throw away about half the chips, which IS difficult, but this brings our calories for that meal at most to around 800 which is not bad, and we no longer crave fish and chips! It's also much better than some low calorie substitute which does NOTHING to stop the cravings. The fish is fresh, the batter crispy and light and the chips are, well, real chips.

For the rest of the week I eat closer to 2200 calories. I enjoy life, I love eating, I can go to parties and eat all the lovely food I want to. I generally hope that by the end of the week I will have saved 3600 calories and reduced by about 1 lb. To boost this likelihood, I go for walks. One mile will give me about 100 calories to add to my calculation.

I used to think that when eg the doctor said all I had to do to lose weight was eat less and exercise more, that this was silly. I am living proof that this is not such a silly idea after all. For some it is not the quick fix, but for me, it is SO easy that I intend to continue past my initial target. My partner said it is the easiest thing he has ever done, and so easy in fact, that he (and I) will be continuing for the rest of the year.